Learning to Believe

Ever wonder why you believe what you believe? You know, that moment of crisis where you think "Why do I do this" or "Where did I come by this idea?" and start to panic that maybe you've had it wrong all along? In my line of health care I find myself questioning people often about what they believe about health and medicine. Little nudges to get people to take a look at where their opinion originated.

Strange how we can let others form our opinions for decades without ever questioning them for ourselves. I can understand how it happens, since I'm also guilty of this very thing. Certainly when the person is an authority figure or a perceived expert in a given area and we are young or unable to find answers from another source then it is easy to fall into this. However, once we are older and especially now when we have so much information at our finger tips, wouldn't it be prudent to start researching for ourselves and choosing what is true for us?

Is it laziness, lack of time, or real belief in what we've been told that keeps us from finding our own belief system? I know as I question people around me about what they believe about health and medicine I stir up all kinds of reactions. Sometimes their belief system is so precarious that even a relatively innocent question causes them to throw all defenses up as they spit out everything they can think of to validate what they have been doing. I find the people with the least personal imput into their health care tend to be the ones who become the most defensive. Why stand up for something you didn't truly choose?

In all of these conversations I certainly don't come across as judgmental or challenging as I'm just trying to get an idea of how much I need to educate someone or where I can direct them to help them find information for themselves. That's really the crux of it. Being willing to do the research for yourself. I've heard so many people talk about having to be in charge of your own health these days. That may be true, but it doesn't just mean booking your appointments or pressing for a second opinion, it also means checking what you believe about what is being said to you by your health care professional, whether natural health care or allopathic.

People are definitely questioning the "normal" health care system that we in the Western world grew up in, since there has been such a huge shift to natural health care in the past decade. But choosing a natural option as a result of frustration, to thumb your nose at the health care system, or because you have coverage and you might as well use it is not what I'm speaking of here. I'm talking about choosing your health care based on a deep seated belief in where it comes from, what it can do and in whom you choose to work with you.

I believe in homeopathy as the primary form of health care for me and my family. I've researched it, I've experienced it personally, I've seen great results. I'm willing to pay out of my own pocket for it. And most importantly I've chosen a homeopath that understands me and my family and uses a form of homeopathy that I believe in and agree with.